Former South Korean president’s confidante gets 20 years in jail

A court in the South Korean capital of Seoul has sentenced the confidante of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye to 20 years in prison for her role in an influence-peddling scandal.

The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday found Choi Soon-sil guilty of abuse of power, bribery, and meddling in state affairs.

She was convicted of receiving bribes from South Korean firms, including telecommunications giant Samsung and the Lotte Group.

The court also sentenced the chairman of retail conglomerate Lotte, Shin Dong-bin, to two years and six months in prison. He was present at the court session with Choi.

When it erupted in 2016, the corruption scandal prompted mass street protests and ultimately brought down the former head of state, Park, who is currently standing trial separately. Park has condemned the trial as “political revenge.”

In December 2016, the parliament impeached Park over the influence-peddling scandal that involved Choi.

In March last year, the Constitutional Court upheld Park’s impeachment and permanently removed her from office. That revoked her immunity from prosecution.

Park is currently being defended by state attorneys after her lawyers resigned last October in protest over what they called biased proceedings following a court decision to extend her detention period until April this year.

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